I used a 6.5 quart crockpot. Anything over a 4 quart should work just fine. This makes enough nuts to feed 12 people as a snack; I'd guess maybe 3-4 gift containers.

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. This is the only grease/butter, which creates a fantastic non-oily nut. I love this.

Put in your nuts/seeds, and add all of the spices and the maple syrup. Toss well to coat.Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The nuts will burn if you don't stir, but if a few do get burnt, don't worry about it. That's part of the charm of a homemade gift.

Spread the nuts out on a layer of foil or wax paper to completely cool, and store in an air-tight container.

The Verdict.

We all really liked these, and so did my dad. The kids ate a bunch, and then waved at their tongue because of the slight kick from the cayenne, but kept going back for more. Both the maple syrup and cayenne is there, but not over-powering, which is sort of scary because you can eat a bucket load.

Totally random, but I love that you use TJ's ingredients. My DH works there - so thanks for supporting our family in an indirect way :) I noticed you don't use their boxed broth (which is waaay cheaper than other places) and was wondering why?

Hi Elise,I do. I go back and forth, depending on what store I'm in. Sometimes I need to grocery shop early in the morning and the 9am open-time at TJ's isn't practical. I love Trader Joe's---we can walk there, and do quite often!xoxsteph

I can't wait to try this reciipe! However there is one small thing, my 4 year old twins broke the lid to my oval 6 qt. crock pot last night! Yes, they are still alive, but I am deeply sad. I was wondering, can I still use the crock and just cover it with foil? Will this mess with cooking time and temp?

I have fallen in LOVE w/ you blog!!! & I finally glad to meet someone who loves their crockpot more than me.I was back looking in Oct about freezing the dried beans after cooking them--have you tried to use them from the freezer? When I tried last yr after they were in the freezer they tasted off & the texture was funny

I am very new to crockpot cooking. Y husband has just been put on a very low salt diet and I bought the pot to make soup and stock in. I would love to have recipes for cooking various cuts of meat that would give me stock as well as the finished dish.

I love the thought of being able to put the ingredients in the pot and get a fully cooked meal out at the end.

I had always used a pressure cooker in the past for quickness, but guess the slow low cooking would preserve more of the goodness.

I was inspired by you to buy a crockpot. Before reading your blog, I thought Pot Roast was the only thing that could be made in a crockpot.

I've decided to use this and other recipes of yours for gift giving. I was wondering if your craftiness in cooking crosses over to gift wrapping as I have no clue how to make these holiday snacks presentable. How have you packaged them?

Sorry, this recipe did not make nearly enough. I don't know how I am going to keep enough until tonight when I was going to bring them to an open house. Ohmygosh yummy! So...can I double the recipe but keep the time at 2 hours?